The "2" in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come has been bothering me for weeks. Why not simply go with Ready or Not: Here I Come? Sweet, simple, effective. Why awkwardly insert that number in the middle? Were the filmmakers afraid audiences might walk into theaters without realizing they had bought tickets for a sequel? In case you don't know, the first film in the series is Ready or Not, the 2019 horror-comedy directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, in which a bride is forced to play a deadly game of hide-and-seek. It ends with an exhausted, blood-soaked Samara Weaving, playing Grace MacCaullay, smoking and blaming her in-laws for her condition as the police arrive. The sequel picks up immediately from this point. Grace is taken to the hospital, and a cop informs her that he has to arrest her because she was found in suspicious circumstances. Before he can even escort her to the elevator, however, he meets his maker. The game, in other words, is far from over. Its scope has now expanded beyond the boundaries of the Le Domas family mansion.
In Ready or Not 2, six elite families compete to kill Grace first. The winner will get the High Seat of the Council, which matters because that person can make important decisions, such as announcing a ceasefire. With great power comes great responsibility, but none of these family members behave like responsible adults. They bicker like little kids, though I admit I couldn't help but root for Martina (Masa Lizdek), who takes delicious revenge on her husband, Madhu (Varun Saranga), by crashing the gates of the Danforth complex and driving toward freedom. At the same time, I found myself perplexed by the game's rules. When Madhu says he doesn't want to participate, the Lawyer (Elijah Wood) asserts that he has no other option. He is, however, offered the choice of relinquishing his position to his wife, which would compel her to go after Grace instead. But Martina simply quits without facing any consequences. How does she have the option to walk away while her husband does not?
Like its prequel, Ready or Not 2 is best enjoyed as casual fluff. The films derive their energy from a gleeful discharge of violence. Nonetheless, even within this narrow range and on these thin terms, Ready or Not 2 isn't as fun as its predecessor. The sight of bodies exploding into sanguinary pieces came as a giddy delight during the first film's climax. These moments fail to offer the same rush this time around. The quantity of blood has increased, but shock is replaced with a wink from behind the camera, frantically inquiring, "Did you enjoy that scarlet gush?" The directors do attempt to preserve the shock factor through a premature attack on Grace and through somebody's celebratory exclamations as he pats himself on the back for giving up the deal with the devil while running toward Grace and Faith (Kathryn Newton), her sister. Still, these fountains of blood pale in comparison to, say, the scene in which Grace and Francesca (Maia Jae), thanks to pepper spray, swing their fists wildly in the air. The film's opening, where Grace, in an uninterrupted shot, is lifted from the ground and placed inside the ambulance, is also more thrilling than all the gory sequences combined.
It's unfortunate that Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett once again treat their characters as broad stereotypes, thus underutilizing the impressive range of the actors they have assembled for the massacre. Their unimaginative handling of the performances is matched by the creative bankruptcy of the writers (Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy). Grace and Faith are saddled with rote family drama—one always accuses the other of abandoning her—while the power dynamics between Titus (Shawn Hatosy) and Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) are altered at the last minute less organically and more out of necessity, as if to satisfy the predetermined calculations of the plot. At the very least, we get to see Titus kissing Grace like a desperate loser. A kiss of that nature can only originate from a man who is fully aware that he will never succeed in impressing any woman. Titus first gently caresses Grace's cheek, then quickly lunges for the kiss, as if he can no longer restrain himself. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that he hadn't touched a woman for many, many years. Weaving, meanwhile, manages to look witty and stunning even when covered in blood. It's only natural that the mere mortals of Ready or Not 2 keep exploding in front of her lovely visage. Weaving gives the movie its fuel; she alone is worth the price of admission.
Final Score- [4/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
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Publisher at Midgard Times